


over spirits on the wing (over every drowsy thing)

by jolybird



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Courfeyrac/Jean Prouvaire, Gen, Mario Kart, Old Forest Gods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jolybird/pseuds/jolybird
Summary: After a crushing defeat, Jehan turns to nature to work his way through an act of hubris.
Kudos: 3





	over spirits on the wing (over every drowsy thing)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [The Miserable(s) Month](https://themiserablesmonth.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> Day One Prompt: Last
> 
> Sorry but this is kinda my vibe for the whole month. 😔 Not beta’d so if you want to send a “um you 100% used the wrong their like 5 times” or “idk wtf you were trying to communicate in this scene” comment like….that’s totally fine lmao. 
> 
> Title is from [Poe’s Fairy-Land](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48627/fairy-land). I’m posting this on my phone so fingers crossed it works.

Every so often the fates and planets aligned so that Jehan and his friend’s schedules cleared on the same stretch of days, allowing them enough time to sneak away on holiday. This fall, they managed to procure a house for five (mostly) interrupted days (there were several phone calls and there was a video conference that Bahorel blatantly day-drank through but other than that—silence). The first night they had been too tired to do anything but curl up in blankets and tell bad jokes but the second night was currently shaping up to be a free for all. 

Courfeyrac and Grantaire had been laughing in the kitchen on and off for the last ten minutes, Combeferre and Cosette were curled up together whispering about biodiversity on the couch, Enjolras had gone to check on Marius twenty minutes ago and had yet to return. Bahorel and Éponine were outside enjoying the autumn night and the rest of them were gathered around the television. Bossuet was surprisingly vicious at Mario Kart. Joly kept trying to drive one-handed as he nursed a cider and Feuilly was, for the most part, asleep—Peach kept driving in circles, bumping around until he woke up enough to point her off into a straight line. 

It was Jehan’s turn to pick a track and Joly was already glaring at him, but it was okay, he wasn’t afraid of Toadette. “If you pick the farm course again and lose you have to do a shot. If you come in last again, you have to do three.” 

Jehan hovered between Cheep Cheep Beach and Toad’s Turnpike and considered it. “Fair,” he agreed and chose Moo Moo Meadows. 

“Jehan you’ve picked that course every single time tonight and you’ve lost each time horribly.” Combeferre said from the couch, as if he was being helpful and reminding him. 

Jehan tried not to sound surly but it came out a little anyway, “I came in tenth last time.” 

“That’s only because Feuilly took out Link at the last second.” Bosssuet frowned and Baby Rosalina shot off at an impossible speed the exact millisecond the light went green. 

Jehan drove Rosalina off at a perfectly acceptable normal speed. Miracles happened when people least expected them and nothing was impossible until you were lapped twice. 

Lap one he ran steadily in seventh place with Joly hot on his heels, lap two Feuilly fell properly asleep, leaving Peach parked directly around a bend. Jehan was so focused on Toadette at the edge of his screen that he didn’t even see her until Rosalina was spinning in circles and Joly was laughing. Joly’s laughter, however, sent him careening into a wall and Jehan passed him again a moment later. The momentum of passing Joly gave Jehan such a boost that he was in second before the lap was over. Bossuet swore, jolting Feuilly from sleep. 

“Go to bed, you’ll hurt your neck.” Courfeyrac called, whatever riot he and Grantaire were having in the kitchen was apparently over and he leaned on the doorframe watching them. Feuilly made a face and silently mimicked him as he picked up his controller again. This made Joly giggle more but Jehan was focused now. He had just a couple turns and he could see Bossuet in the distance—he could win. 

He saw the cow walking onto his screen as if in slow motion and he couldn’t do anything to save Rosalina from slamming into it, crying out, and spinning in four complete circles. Racers passed him in a blur, Joly was laughing hard and Baby Rosalina was already doing a victory lap. Jehan swore and drove Rosalina off. He collided with Link and realized he was headed in the wrong direction. 

Joly laughed harder and Jehan swatted at him, “don’t laugh I almost had it!” 

He struggled to get out of the corner he had driven in only to be hit with a green shell and Luigi in quick succession. “Stop—you’re cheating I’m almost at the finish line.” 

“Oh my god Feuilly is going to pass you.” 

“No he’s not.” Jehan swore and took off down the road again. This time he saw the cow coming and he dodged it with a twist of his entire upper body. 

Unfortunately, he didn’t see the second one.

Joly was laughing so hard, he had tears in his eyes and Cosette was cheering Jehan on. He glanced to see where Feuilly was and—fuck—Peach was gaining on him. This is why you didn’t count people out until they were two laps down. Jehan raced towards the finish line, there was no way Feuilly could reach him in time. 

Rosalina went flying over the finish line and—Jehan swore loudly—Peach was directly next to him and a giant, cheerful 12th floated on the screen. Joly turned to him amongst Feuilly and Bossuet’s riotous laughter, “bye!”

Jehan frowned pointedly and handed his controller off to Cosette as he got up. 

“Change your character, she’s cursed.” Bossuet told her helpfully and Jehan flipped him off. 

Fair was fair and Jehan was going to get these shots done as soon as possible. He grabbed an abandoned shot glass from the table and immediately poured the nearest vodka into it. It was herbally and delicious. He poured another shot, downed it, and then did the final shot before the first two could catch up with him. 

Combeferre glanced over to him, looking from the bottle to the glass he slammed back onto the table, “did you just—“ Combeferre cut his question off and shook his head. He climbed off the couch and vanished for a moment into the kitchen. Jehan turned around and looked out over his friends. 

“How are you?” Joly called without looking away from the screen.

“I think I might win if I play again.” Jehan called back and Joly and Feuilly both laughed. Cosette was proving to be Bossuet’s only competition of the night and the two of them leaned forward as they raced around the bends. 

Combeferre was suddenly at Jehan’s side with some chips and a bottle of water. 

“Oh, thank you.” Jehan mused, twisting the bottle open and pouring some into his wine glass that he had helpfully abandoned empty on the table some hours before. 

Joly appeared at his other side and Jehan flinched. Combeferre took the water bottle and screwed the top back on. He left the bottle on the table and wandered off. Joly threw his arm around Jehan’s shoulders. “You may have come in last place but you won my heart,” he cooed. Jehan took another sip of water and then carefully put his glass down next to the water bottle. He wrapped his arm around Joly’s waist, “would you like a chip?”

“No thanks, you enjoy them.” 

Jehan popped one into his mouth. 

Joly surveyed their friends, “Where are you sleeping tonight?” 

“Courfeyrac promised me a spot on his air mattress.” Jehan carefully kept his voice neutral and ate another chip. 

Joly raised his eyebrows, “Oh? Is someone finally going to put the moves on you?” 

Jehan put the chips down on the table next to them and picked up his wineglass again, sipping it as he looked around the room for the man in question. He was leaning over the back of the couch, messing with Feuily’a hair as he laughed and tried to race. Combeferre was playing now and given the sharp frown and delighted look on Bossuet’s face, it wasn’t going very well for him. “One can only hope.” 

Joly grinned and Jehan smiled back. He had fallen for Courfeyrac widdershins, it had been mostly an afterthought, a stereotypical: _oh_. Joly was still teasing him for not realizing until he couldn’t remember when it had happened. Joly still whispered constantly that Courfeyrac felt the same—what were they doing besides killing him. 

“Oh—“ Joly said and Jehan followed his line of sight to where Enjolras was walking out from the hall that led to the bedrooms. His hair was distinctly messy. “Enjolras and Marius were macking in my bedroom.” 

Jehan looked around and, you know what, at some point Grantaire had vanished, “R’s missing as well.” 

Joly hummed under his breath like this was the single most interesting piece of news he had heard in a while, “I’m not going to say anything.” 

“Don’t.” Jehan agreed, “Your presence alone will make him cave. You are his priest.” 

“I know,” Joly grinned. “It’s great.” He gave him a squeeze and then they untangled themselves and Joly casually made his way across the room towards the man in question. 

Jehan sighed as he watched him go, already Enjolras was eyeing him warily. Popping another chip into his mouth, Jehan watched as Joly slid up next to Enjolras, not saying anything, not looking at him. Enjolras was going to spill his guys in record time. He didn’t know what it was about Joly but Enjolras could not tell him a lie. 

He reached into the bowl and felt around until the last chip was in his hand. He popped it into his mouth and then frowned. This wouldn’t do. Those shots had pushed him decidedly over his limit. 

He picked up the water bottle and his glass and went over to the sink. He refilled the water bottle, it was covered in whale sharks and crabs and he was pretty sure it was Courfeyrac’s although he saw Enjolras and Feuilly with it frequently as well. He carried the two out onto the back deck, it was cold and refreshing after being inside for the last several hours. 

Bahorel raised his eyebrows at him but didn’t say anything as he slipped passed to carefully walk down the stairs. He concentrated on placing his feet squarely on each step as they came to him—he was going to be mortified if he slipped. 

He reached the bottom step without incident and turned towards the woods. There was only one thing that would get his head straight in times like this. 

“Don’t go out of sight of the house.” Bahorel called and Jehan huffed as he rolled his eyes. He wasn’t the one who needed the warning. 

“Does it look like I’m dressed for the fae?” 

“That’s the problem, you always are.” Bahorel called after him. Jehan didn’t dignify it wit a response other than flipping him off but he took care to not walk too deeply into the woods for his friend’s sake. 

Jehan found shelter at the base of a beech tree. The ground in front of him was clear and he could see the kitchen window and back porch light if he turned his head. He sighed and pressed his back against the tree. 

Oh he was absolutely wasted right now. 

Lifting his wineglass to his lips, he took a delicate sip. He thanked the universe for the path that led him to his friends—he wouldn’t be half the man he was without them. He took another sip before resting the glass on his knee. 

Leaves crunched in front of him and Jehan opened his eyes, smile on his lips for whichever one of his friends couldn’t leave him alone. He hoped it was Joly with fresh gossip. 

The being that stood in front of him wasn’t one of the friends he came here with. It was four legged, tan, and watched him with dark eyes. It was mostly deer-shaped and stood about as tall as Combeferre without including the antlers which were massive and easily half the size of it. 

“Sorry,” Jehan apologized, his lips twisting into a frown, “have I interrupted you?” 

It shook its head, antlers rustling the tree branches. They were shedding their skin, bits of skin hung from the antlers like the branches of a willow tree. It was ancient, its eyes had seen horrors—Jehan saw reflections of bare feet running through underbrush, bark exploding, branches being ripped of leaves that turned to embers. He could see a man in armor, sword in hand, spinning around with wide eyes as something startled him.

It was ancient but impossibly young. It had so many questions and not enough answers. The world would long be remade before it was old. 

“I just needed to sit on the earth for a moment or two to readjust to the world.” Jehan explained. 

The being looked into the forest to Jehan’s right and then towards the house. It walked to a dark patch behind an oak tree and laid down. It’s eyes were brighter in the darkness, it reminded him of how the night sky appeared brighter when the streetlight in front of his parents house would go out when he was sixteen and stargazing on the roof. 

Jehan rested his head against the bark, “It’s worth fighting for, isn’t it?” 

Dark eyes held no answers and Jehan tried to translate his feelings into words. 

“All of it. Joly’s laugh and Maman’s crepes and the way Courfeyrac makes the room warmer just by being in it.” 

The being flicked its ear, probably to ward off a bug but Jehan had the impression that he was being laughed at. 

“The fight won’t be won in my lifetime. This is humanity’s fight, not ours, not our friends. We will have great victories—we’ve already seen some. I think the point of everything is to fight for the future but live in the present. It’s about making Joly laugh instead of only creating a world where it's safe for him to do so.” Jehan shook his head, sipped his water. He tried to gather his thoughts but they were jumbled. “I’m sorry. I’m too drunk for rational thought. Sometimes I dwell too much on tomorrow. I need to—I need to tell Courfeyrac that I want his face to be the first one I see every morning. I think that’s the most immediate thing I should do.” 

The being huffed and Jehan shut his eyes as he smiled. Yes, the most immediate thing to do was sober up a little. He drank the rest of the water in his glass and did not pour more. He rested the glass against the exposed root to his right and looked up at the trees. The leaves rustled and several floated to the ground. Autumn had taken its time arriving this year but when it did, it so all at once. The breeze was chilly but not quite cold. It was quiet out here, peaceful. The wind carried snippets of his friends laughter and Jehan let it wash over them. Just a few moments more and he’d go back inside.   
  


* * *

Jehan opened his eyes with a jolt, realizing suddenly that he had fallen asleep. Stretching his back, and rolling his shoulders, he looked to the being in front of him. It’s dark eyes still watched him calmly. “Thank you.” Jehan told it because it would be rude to not say what he meant. 

His name echoed from the house, and you know what, that might have been what had woken him in the first place. 

“That’s Courfeyrac.” Jehan smiled and they both got to their feet. He gathered up the wine glass and water bottle. “I feel better, thank you. I’m sorry I wasn’t more interesting company.”

The being stomped its feet a little and shook it’s head from side to side. 

Jehan smiled, “thank you.” 

They gazed at each other for another moment and then they both turned. Jehan went his way and it went it’s own. Their footsteps through the leaves joined together to echo through the night. 

Jehan caught up with Courfeyrac at the tree line. Courfeyrac sighed and plucked a leaf from Jehan’s hair. “I was about to murder Bahorel for letting you wander off alone.” Courfeyrac frowned and put his hands on his hips in a show of theatrics. 

“I’m right here.” Jehan told him, feeling sorry he had worried him. 

Courfeyrac took the glass and bottle from him and held them both in his right hand, “who were you talking to?” 

“It doesn’t have a name.” Jehan thought of the flash of the knight, the sword, turning. They had been young, more startled than afraid. “At least, not anymore. It was summoned by my act of hubris.”

Courfeyrac smiled, “well, you’re last again my friend. We’re all waiting for you. We’re calling Grantaire’s sister because he’s promised that she’ll tell us the eclipse story.”

“Oh, that’s my favorite one.” Jehan slipped his arms around Courfeyrac’s. They walked up the back stairs like that, they had to squeeze but Jehan liked the contact. 

Courfeyrac paused on the deck. Jehan didn’t know how long he had napped for but Bahorel was back inside. “I know you’re drunk right now but what do you think about me telling you something that could potentially change things. Hopefully for the better but you can never be completely certain until things like this are out in the open.” 

“Oh,” Jehan said and he couldn’t help but smile wide, “I think you should. But if you can’t, don’t worry, I will. We’re on the same page I think.” 

“Do you?”

Jehan nodded, “but we won’t talk tonight. Tonight we listen to the eclipse story and I promise not to be angry when you steal the blanket in the night.” 

Courfeyrac kissed the top of Jehan’s head to let him know he’d try not to steal the blankets and then they opened the door to their friend’s voices.


End file.
